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Skin care from your garden
By ALAN HAYES
MAKING the most of ourselves
enhances our self-esteem, and
a healthy, cared-for body and glow
ing skin creates ^ pleasant impres
sion. There are many natural and
• inexpensive ways in which you can
, achieve this, and the following reci
; pes are an easy way to start your
•natural skin-care regime.
□ Rose Cleansing Oil — mix 1 cup
of olive oil, 1 tbsp avocado oil, 'h
.cup apricot kernel oil and cup
jojoba oil and 'A teaspoon of essen
tial oil of rose. Pour into a screw-top
jar and shake vigorously. Refriger
ate.
Pour oil on cotton wool and gent
ly apply to face and neck until
clean, using an outward and up
, ward movement. Remove oily resi
due with an alcohol-free toning
lotion or witch-hazcl.
□ Toning Lotion — dissolve 25
drops of either rosemary, thyme or
lavender oil in 20ml of cider vine
gar and then add this mixture to
150ml of distilled water. Store in a
glass bottle with a tight fitting lid.
Pour a little of the toner on to
damp cotton wool, and use the
„ same upward and outward move
: mcnt as you did with cleanser.
□ Avocado Face and Neck Moist
uriser — avocado oil ^s an excellent
SO NATURAL
moisturiser to use under make-up,
particularly in drying winds. Fresh
avocado on the face and neck is
especially nourishing for the skin.
Mash the pulp of half an avoca
do. Spread the pulp on the face and
neck and lie down and relax for
about 20 minutes.
Remove with tissues, then damp
ened cotton wool.
Strawberries can be used after
cleansing and toning. Cut up and
mash into a pulp enough fresh
strawberries to spread all over the
face and neck, leaving the eye area.
Lie down for 20 minutes. For an
extra benefit, soak balls of cotton
wool in a cold tea made from
crushed fennel seeds and put them
on your eyelids.
Rinse off with warm water, then
splash with cold water.
Insect repellants
Much information exists about
companion planting. This is fast be
coming an acceptable solution in
controlling insects.
Bitter herbs such as southern
wood, wormwood, rue and mug
wort will not only repel slugs and
insects, but can also discourage
birds and mice from eating newly
planted seeds. Herbs should be
dried, then powdered by rubbing
through a fine wire sieve. Spread
over the ground and cover with a
sprinkling of earth.
Make an all-purpose pesticide by
mixing equal parts of spearmint (or
any of the other mints); onion; gar
lic; hot red peppers; mustard; laven
der, rosemary. Finely chop all
ingredients, cover with water, add a
pinch of yeast and leave until it all
ferments. Strain ofT the liquid and
then dilute 1 part to 4 parts soapy
water and spray over any pest-in
fected plant.
A home-made fungicide consists
of 1 cup dried chamomile to 3 cups
boiling water. Add the herb to a
ceramic bowl, pour in the boiling
water, cover and steep overnight.
Strain and spray on affected plants.
□ Insect barriers: snails, slugs and
leaf-eating insects can be discour
aged by barriers like sawdust,
crushed egg shells, sand or wood
ashes. Small rounds of mosquito
netting placed over young seedlings
will keep snails and moths from
them. A slug and snail trap can be
made by sinking small dishes of
stale beer and sweetened water in
the ground. j
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